Neena Gupta Quotes
Actress
I posted something on Instagram saying I am looking for meaningful work. At that time, I was sure my daughter Masaba would be angry. She however, reposted it and wrote another beautiful post. She is a very good writer. That post almost changed things for me. I am glad I did what I did.
Loneliness is always there, it's a phase that comes and goes and it is a very difficult phase.
I have found ways to kill this ever-present feeling of loneliness. I try a new dish and experiment with food, I'll clean my cupboard, do the little things in the house, and I keep myself busy. I find things to do.
The more trauma and bad experiences you have, the more you are able to laugh on yourself and the situation.
In theatre, there is a camaraderie that makes you believe you've been working with your co-actor for a long time.
I can look Punjabi, South Indian, gareeb and ameer too.
I feel that I have not got my due in films. However, I did a lot of good work on television and that's why I never got typecast.
I know people who've had dreams unrealised due to circumstances.
Yes, I have found a loving husband and family in Delhi.
My upbringing saved me.
I was offered 'Bigg Boss' twice but I can't do such shows.
Whether I act or direct I ensure that there is a social message attached.
I've always decided that I would never be dependant on a man.
I am by and large an honest person, I have nothing to hide.
I know I do good work.
I take audience reaction very seriously.
Saath Saath' was my first big mistake!
I can laugh at my own grief.
I watch lots of American shows like 'Desperate Housewives' and so on.
I've realised that nothing that happens is so grim that life can't go on. Life always goes on, no matter what. Even in the grimmest situation, I see hope.
I am an actor, I can do any role.
My image is a media-built image. I'm not what my image is.
I'm not a strong woman at all. And I'm not a feminist. In fact, I'm very weak.
Nobody wants to take a risk with scripts that push the envelope.
I lie very little and am a very straight-forward person.
I made a few mistakes in the beginning of my career. I didn't have anybody to guide me. I didn't have a secretary. I didn't call up directors, or meet people asking for roles.
This whole thing about a woman staying alone and being happy is just a myth. Everyone needs someone in their lives.
I'd like do a film which I can carry entirely on my own.
Oh, I love reality shows.
Who ever lives life on their own terms?
It was a mistake not to marry at the right age. When you get older, even men aren't interested in you.
Coming back to 'Saath Phere' after a break of more than six months is like walking into an old home.
I simply love doing household chores and cooking.
The entire unit of 'Saath Phere' is like an extended family for me.
Marriage happened very late for me. It took place at a time, when my definition of companionship had really narrowed down.
The media had built my perception of being a strong woman because of my personal life. I wanted to play the damsel in distress, but I wasn't given an opportunity to explore that kind of a character.
I had enjoyed 'Big Boss.'
Life is very tough for women. When you are a certain age, you are left alone at home with no one to share your life with.
Once you decide to marry, you have to work at it to keep it rocking.
You can't take me for granted!
It is close to impossible to find a man who can bear with a woman, who is a notch above or equal to him. Such men are still not there in this world. It is like we will always be facing trouble in our lives.
I always wanted to do good work and play strong parts.
With 'Badhaai Ho,' I loved the script but was anxious that someone else might get the role.
Everything is destined, I believe... People you meet and end up marrying.
What I went through in personal life had a big impression on my professional choices.
I have always received roles of strong women from the beginning.
I was an innocent Delhi girl, which is good for an actress, but worked against me when I shifted to Mumbai.
As women, we always crave for family and a loving partner and in our quest to find that happy space we overlook a lot of things.
I usually don't get the movies I audition for.
Doing theatre in Delhi didn't guarantee success in Mumbai.
I don't say one thing and do another.
I didn't want to get married to somebody just because I was ageing and wanted a child.
I lost my mother to cancer, so once Masaba was born, my father moved from Old Delhi to live with me in Mumbai.
Films are a business. They take who's working.
Traditionally, our society has always seen women as homemakers and men as bread-earners. The demarcations are engraved in stone, perhaps.
It's so strange that God has had his way of looking after me.
I didn't do anything with the thought that I want to go against society or bend any rules.
I have lived a life of many shades and am very thankful to God for what he has given me and not given me.
My role was cut from 'Sooryavanshi' because the track was not working for the film. So they had to take it out.
Even though I did things which were not in accordance with the society's norms, deep down, I am an orthodox woman.
It takes effort to not be lonely.
My profession is to change myself according to my role and I work hard on it.
As an actor I am prepared for every role, that's my profession.
I got offered big roles after 'Badhaai Ho' but if the film hadn't worked, I wouldn't have gotten. It's business, nobody is emotional about it.
I don't know if any woman is completely happy with the way she leads her life or with the way people treat her.
Men should never be the prime focus of women's life.
I think everyone is lonely whether you are in a good marriage or a bad marriage somewhere down the line you become lonely, and to get rid of that loneliness you have to try really hard.
I won't get a role if I say I want to do that. It depends on how saleable you're at that time.
I want to do comedy and an action role.
I used to not get work even on TV, but wherever I went, they'd treat me with respect but never offer work.
I've evolved with time and learnt from my daughter which designers and singers are in.
In PhD, my topic was Stage Techniques in Sanskrit Drama - theory and practice. I wanted to combine my drama training with Sanskrit drama, which has a very rich history in literature.
Masaba has helped me break some taboos, like wearing off-white with white or sneakers with a fancy gown. She's given me the confidence to carry off stuff, which looks nice.
I made '4,000 every month from 'Khandaan.'
I think I don't complain much about cars because I don't drive.
Every child needs both parents.
I'm was a very shy person, a very shy person and couldn't go to people in my college. We used to do plays, and I would never get the main female role. I would always get a boys' role because it was a girls college and I was a little taller than other girls.
It's important that you are not embarrassed when you try something new.
My first car was a second-hand Padmini Standard that I bought for '25,000 in 1985. It was a lot of money for me. The Padmini Standard was one of those small cars which was very popular during that time. However, I never drove the car and still don't drive one.
My mother was very interested for me to become an IAS officer.
If you do one big commercial film and it's a hit, everybody takes you for that particular kind of a role.
We all want to be appreciated. Don't we?
I want to try something on situational comedy.
The condition of women in our country is so bad that compared to them I have been through nothing. I have just had a child out of wedlock, but I get to be the face of the independent modern woman. I don't think it is fair.
I'm a very shy person and find it difficult to ask for work even if I know somebody for ages.
I can never doubt anyone's capabilities. I feel everyone has a talent which takes time to come out.
Apart from the money actors earn, it is the love and appreciation that keeps everyone looking forward to do more.
I am very much aware that I am considered a 'strong woman.' And I am also aware that that is only because I had a child outside wedlock.
My problem is that I can do variety of roles.
The fact that my parents were both educated and held certain values very dearly, like honesty, self-respect and integrity, meant that I could steer clear of many pitfalls.
There are mothers who sacrifice their dreams for family and feel terrible about it. There are mothers who are career women as well, without being apologetic about it.
No two mothers are the same.
I am genuinely interested in comedy and I know that I have good comic timing as well.
It is very tough to bring up a child on your own.
I know many big stars who asked for work when they were out of it.
I believe that you need your parents the most. That's the most important thing.
My mother was a Gandhian and very strict.
If you don't have one thing, what's the big deal? Not everybody has everything.
I used to tell myself that I am a good actor, I have a good body, I have a pretty face, have long hair, have a good soul, so if there is one thing I don't have, don't make a big issue of it.